08.08.05:Tonya Wood competes in Female Armwrestling Championships
Friday, August 12, 2005 at 16:34 from The Daily Citizen, Arkansas :
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| Tonya Wood, the 2005 Female Armwrestler of the Year, demonstrates her technique Tuesday. Wood will compete at the USA Unified National Armwrestling Championship in Little Rock August 13 and 14. (Greg Benenati/The Daily Citizen) |
Beebe Junior High School teacher Tonya Wood does not have to twist her students' arms to get them in line -- but she could.
In her free time, the chair of Beebe's sixth to eighth grade language arts department travels the country to compete in armwrestling and bodybuilding competitions. Wood is a five-time national armwrestling champion, and holds numerous other armwrestling and bodybuilding titles.
Competitive armwrestling takes place at a table with a pole at each end. Each opponent grabs the pole closest to the free hand, and then clasps hands with the other. Throughout the fight, the free hand cannot leave the pole, and one foot must remain on the ground. When one of the opponents' hand touches a pad covering the tabletop, the struggle is over.
